My St. George’s Day Lamb recipe makes the perfect roast coated in a fragrant paprika paste to protect the meat from drying and roasted in a beer bath. The lamb is always cooked to perfection – succulent and delicious on the inside and with a beautiful crust on the outside. You do not need a special occasion to prepare this delicious dish, it’s so easy and you can make it anytime!

HISTORY OF MY ST GEORGE’S DAY ROASTED LAMB WITH PAPRIKA.

This old traditional dish comes from the Southern Balkans, where sweet paprika is a highly regarded spice in many traditional recipes.

In Bulgaria, we often make this roasted lamb on St George’s Day, a very important religious holiday in the region, celebrating spring and the rebirth of nature. As spring is also the lambing season, the most traditional festive dishes for spring celebrations are made with lamb.

Easting lamb on St George’s day is so important for the Bulgarian people that the church had to change the official date for celebrating the holiday so it does not lapse with Lent and the people can eat meat. St. George’s day is even more popular in Bulgaria than Easter!

WHY IS ST GEORGE’S DAY SO IMPORTANT IN BULGARIA?

In Bulgaria, St George is regarded as the protector of lambs. Lamb farming was the livelihood for many in the country, and, although nowadays it is not as developed as it used to be, these old traditions are still alive in the villages.

Balkan people celebrate St George also as the Green man and associate him with the spirit of the green fields, the fresh herbs and spring coming.

You may have heard of the legend about the king who sacrificed his daughter to the dragon, but St George killed the dragon to save the girl and introduced Christianity to the kingdom. St George, the saint who fought a dragon, symbolises bravery. For that reason, St George’s Day was declared the national day of the Bulgarian army.

HOW IS ST GEORGE’S DAY CELEBRATED IN BULGARIA?

An old religious ritual, still followed by small farmers in the villages today, is to take the firstborn healthy male lamb to a monastery or the village church to be blessed and sacrificed in the name of the saint. A traditional lamb soup (korban) is prepared on the grounds of the monastery or the village church and offered to the people attending the event for the good fortune and good health of the farmer and his family.

In towns and cities, however, people honour the saint and celebrate the holiday by making a beautiful lamb roast.

HOW TO MAKE my ROASTED LAMB WITH PAPRIKA CRUST?

📋 INGREDIENTS IN MY RECIPE

Sourcing good quality ingredients is essential for making a good meal.

Meat: I used a de-boned lamb shoulder with this recipe, but a leg of lamb can work too.

Sweet Paprika: Sourcing a good quality sweet paprika is extremely important for this recipe because the paprika imparts a lovely sweet and smoky flavour to the meat.

Flour: Use plain flour to make the paprika paste.

Oil: Although the original recipe calls for cooking oil, I recommend using good quality extra virgin oil instead. The oil will add moisture and flavour.

Beer: Like the extra virgin oil, beer keeps the meat moist and adds flavour. Always use good quality beer in this recipe. As all good chefs say, never use alcohol that you would not drink in cooking. The beer imparts a wonderful flavour to the meat and keeps it moist. It also helps the meat to cook better.

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

This is probably the easiest roast you will ever make. Prepare the paprika coating, rub the meat in it, place it in the preheated oven covered with the beer and slow roast it. The coating will keep the meat moist and tender. View detailed instructions below:

Step 1: Prepare the lamb for roasting

Take the meat out of the fridge, remove the packaging and place it on a wire rack. Let it get to room temperature before applying the past.

The original recipe recommends washing the lamb, but that is not necessary if using a vacuum-packed lamb from the supermarket. Just pat the meat dry with some kitchen paper. If you are not a fan of fatty lambs like me, remove the fat covering the lamb. Rub the meat with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Step 2: Make the PAPRIKA paste

In a small bowl, combine sweet paprika, flour and oil. Stir the marinade until all ingredients blend into a paste.

Step 3: Coat the MEAT in the spice paste

Using your hands, rub the spice paste into the meat to coat it well. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and leave the lamb to rest for 30-60 minutes to absorb the flavours from the paste. The paste protects the meat from drying and cooks into a delightful crust. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to  220°C/428°F.

Fill 1/3 of your roasting dish with beer and place the marinated meat inside. Cover the roasting pan with kitchen foil or a lid to keep the aromas confined.

Step 5: Roast the lamb

Make sure your oven is very hot when you place the meat inside. Position the covered roasting pan with the lamb on the middle shelf in your oven, then reduce the temperature to 170°C/338°F.

Cook the lamb according to the instructions on the packaging. For a 1.8 kg shoulder of lamb, it usually takes about 2.15 hours. Remove the foil for the last 15-20 minutes of roasting the meat to allow it to form a beautiful crust.

When your roast is ready, take it out of the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. Keep in mind that your roast continues cooking during the resting and, if you like your lamb rare, you may need to take it out of the oven earlier.

🍲 SERVE THIS ROASTED LAMB WITH PAPRIKA

You can pair this delicious lamb with many wonderful side dishes. I often served it with Bulgarian potatoes tortilla Patatnik or my favourite sauteed potato thins and a simple fresh green salad on the side. You can also have grilled or roasted vegetables with it. The original recipe does not call for making gravy, but you can buy ready-made gravy sauce to serve with it.

Bon Appétit! 👨‍🍳👨‍🍳👨‍🍳